Fancy an exclusive hand-made Flaming Skirt Festival tote bag, a set of original artist-drawn postcards or workshop day with contemporary artist and qualified teacher Sally Lemsford?
We’ve got some amazing rewards up for grabs on our crowd funding page, so check it out, share with your friends and get involved to help us bring contemporary art to rural communities here: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/flaming-skirt-festival
Well, the planning is underway for this year’s contemporary art fest. So keep your eye on this spot for the updates as they unfold. In true fabulous Flaming Skirt Festival fashion, it will be two days of fun and delightful creative surprises at each Flaming Skirt Festival location in NW Leicestershire and Derbyshire.
Experience contemporary art events for the family, in and around your rural community spaces and places: performance, games, puppets, storytelling, creative walking, installations, and interventions.
Take a look at our previous posts to see what we got up to last year.
Every great day finishes with a great story. And artist Lindsey Warnes-Carroll, our animated storyteller, told Shirley’s Stories. She shared her colourful life and then inspired us to make her dreams come true through crafting props (flowers, fishes, medals and more) and putting on a spectacular performance together. Sing-alongs, dancing, acting and so much laughter made Waingroves Community Centre ring with creativity. Take a bow, what a performance everyone!
On your marks, get set, BUILD. Artist Charlotte Ashman challenged the Flaming Skirt Festival goers to engineer and sculpt the tallest, most beautiful sculpture out of newspaper. This chaotic frenzy of fun was called 60 Minute Mayhem and inspired some sculptures to rival the Empire State Building. Then came the serious bit as the sculptures were put through their paces with the ‘Brick Test’. Rewrite the tourist book and put Denby on the map with these beauties.
Next the Flaming Skirt Festival turned up at the Houses of Giggles. Performance artist and self-taught ventriloquist Leah Lovett introduced us to Sock Puppet State. We found out how to create puppets from our socks and make them speak like politicians, without even moving our lips! Politics has never been this much fun. We vote for more art like this.
“Welcome on board” said conductor JP as we began the creative crusade between each venue. Artist Sophie Cullinan was our hostess with the mostess. A fabulous flight pack made sure there was plenty of noise, somewhere to pee and a fabulous flipbook of applause for personal appreciation.
Then on to the poetry. A Creative Washing Line of Thoughts was curated by poet Dave Wood and helped us air our laundry of rhyming revelry.
And your departing words:
“This bus is more fun than just one venue, it’s part of the art.”
Let the games begin! Artist Charlie Hill declared The Flaming Fruit and Veg Show open and really got the creative juices flowing. With beautiful rosettes to play for, it was a delicatessen duel of artistry and fruity skills.
With smiles as wide as bananas, you declared:
“This is so much fun!”
Forget the Great British Bake Off – Pete and Geoff (artists Sally Lemsford and Sally Newham) kicked off the Flaming Skirt Festival2 (2014) with a truly entertaining brew and biscuits. Top rate geezers with some great TIPS for life, they colourfully served up their wonderfully wise words.